ORLANDO, FL (WSPA/AP) – Furman pulled off the upset Thursday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Furman defeated Virginia 68-67 on the back of a JP Pegues three-pointer with just 2.4 seconds left in the game.
VIDEO ABOVE: Furman fans react to upset win over Virginia.
With Furman’s bracket-busting win, they will move on to the round of 32 to play San Diego State following SDSU’s victory over the College of Charleston.
Furman earned its first tournament berth since 1980 by beating Chattanooga for the Southern Conference title, capping a season-long quest to redeem itself after losing the league’s automatic berth to the Mocs on a 35-foot buzzer-beater in last year’s Southern final.
In the aftermath of that loss, Jalen Slawson and his best friend, Mike Bothwell, both decided to return for their fifth seasons with the Paladins. Slawson took over the game when Bothwell fouled out, finishing with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
Kihei Clark, who starred as a freshman on Virginia’s 2019 national title-winning team, threw a bad pass that Garrett Hien intercepted at midcourt with 7 seconds to go, setting up Pegues’ go-ahead basket, his only 3 of the game.
